Finally home again

After several months of on again off again travel, I am back home in OKC.  Since May, I have been to South Dakota, Minnesota, Colorado, Texas, and Kansas.  It has been a whirlwind kind of summer with meeting new people, seeing new places, and telling more people about OTC than ever before.  I’ve met so many people that my head is still spinning and I only hope that I can keep their names straight should we cross paths again in the near future.  🙂

On my last trip to Texas, I visited Frontier Camp.  What an amazing opportunity to see the Father at work in so many young people.  It took me back to my college days when I first experienced true praise and worship time.  I saw young people literally on their faces before Him.  It stirred up that old fire in me and made me realize how much of that fire has gotten dowsed as I’ve gotten older.  Why is that?  How does that happen?  It has really made me ponder the degree of passion in my relationship with Him.  I want to regain that fire-the passion.  I’m so thankful that He allowed me to see these young people broken before Him and I hope that He will restore that passion in me.

Not only was I able to see great transformation in the lives of the young people at camp, but I was also able to make some connections with people from the Midsouth Conference.  What an awesome group of people!  I mean, I knew Texas was awesome, but wow!  These people were so gracious and friendly and really welcomed me into the fold.  A special thanks to Dale Lusk for the invite and the welcome!

Now that I’m home again, my work really begins.  I have three papers to get done in the next 3 weeks.  Two are for the Theology Class I just finished in MN and one is for the LTM process.  Please lift these papers up!  I need all the help I can get.  🙂

In addition, after all of the traveling I have done and all the places I’ve visited, it’s now time for follow-up.  As you all know, I am only able to do what I do through the contributions of people just like you.  And I have to raise A LOT of money in the coming months.  I need your help.  If you would like to become a supporter, please click on the link —-> to the RIGHT that says ONLINE GIVING and in just a few minutes, you can help me to continue to do what I do overseas!  Thank you all for your thoughts and for prayerfully considering being a part of my support team!

Until next time….

Rocky Mountain High

I’ve heard that old John Denver song, Colorado Rocky Mountain High, a zillion times, but never really understood what he actually  meant by that phrase until last weekend when I stood at the top of Pike’s Peak (Elevation 14, 110) and felt that high.  What an amazing feeling to be standing on the top of a mountain that is literally in the clouds and looking out into the magnificent wonder that is God’s creation.  Amazing.

I not only felt a high from being high in the mountains, but I also got a high from seeing familiar faces from BJ Connection and PLC.  It was like a big family reunion for me just as it was each year when those familiar faces would step off the bus in PL and we would hug our old friends who had brought a refreshing spirit with them.  I felt that spirit the night that I spoke about OTC to a crowd of about 30 people.  There was laughter, joy, and yes, even some tears that night which tells me…it was a good night.  I have great hope that awesome things are going to come out of this Rocky Mountain high.

Traveling here and there and everywhere

It’s been a while since my last update, so I figured I’d better take advantage of this precious Saturday afternoon time to give you all the latest scoop.  So, here goes!

As you all know, my summer schedule is craaaaazy.  It got kicked off last month in South Dakota.  I was so nervous about my first speaking engagement, but the nerves turned out to be the precursor to a fantastic experience.  I was greeted at the airport by two very friendly and familiar faces, Mark Chapman and Louis Clark.  I met them a few years ago when they came to a PL Connection.  We drove 2 hours to Labolt where Mark leads the Labolt Cov. congregation.  I spoke that night after a most excellent dumpling dinner.  🙂  I did get a bit choked up and teary towards the end because of a video I showed of PL, but I was told, “That shows your passion.”  I hope and pray that the audience members felt that passion as well.

The next day, I went back to Sioux Falls where I spoke to the youth that evening.  Their parents also attended.  It was a small group, but an involved group.  I showed several funny pictures of some of my experiences in China, including my acupuncture, to get their attention and I also quizzed them a little to see what they already knew or thought about China and worked my way from there.  I then went onto talk about what it was we did at OTC.  Again, my hope is that those young people will remember our talk and the things I told them about and that they too would someday decide to work overseas.

Lastly, after Sunday service, I spoke to those who chose to stay and listen about OTC.  I couldn’t tell you every detail of everything I said, but I can tell you that once I was done, I was SWEATING.  🙂  And it wasn’t because it was hot in there.  I was active apparently.  Imagine that.  The feedback that I received from the people there was very encouraging.  So, thank you to all of you who prayed for me before my trip.  God came through in a BIG way!

My next stop is Colorado.  I will be speaking in Loveland on July 8th.  If you’re in the area, I look forward to seeing you soon!  I love reunions!

Until next time…

Over the hump and moving forward

So, last week was the big first trip to South DakOOOta.  🙂  I was fortunate enough to be greeted at the airport by not one, but two familiar smiling faces – Mark Chapman and Louis Clark.  What a blessing!  It really relieved my nerves quite a bit being able to spend time chatting and laughing with them in the car for two hours on the way to Labolt where I spoke at that evening.  They made dumplings that evening for supper at the church and afterwards, I spoke.  I felt like the talk was going well until….I got choked up.  Did NOT see that coming.  But, I guess it had been hiding down inside of me and needed to be let out.  Been a while since I’ve had a good China cry.  🙂  Linda Chapman said it was a good thing though because it showed my passion.  I suppose that’s true but can’t God help me show my passion a different way?  lol

After Labolt, I returned to Sioux Falls where I spoke to the youth that night.  I shared a lot of funny pictures (i.e. acupuncture, chicken feet, etc.) to get their attention and then followed that up with the “real deal.”  It was a good night and afterwards, the adults who were there stuck around for a bit and we had a nice chat.  It’s always great to meet and get to know new people.  Loved that.  Sunday morning I spoke to the Prairie Hills group and had a grand time.  I was actually sweating by the end of the time, so that tells you what level I was working at.  hahaha  Overall, the trip was a great success.  It was just the affirmation and encouragement that I needed to get me over the initial hump of nervousness and push me onward to my next stop, which will be Colorado!  So excited to see the Rockies!

Thank you to each and every person out there who has been lifting me up leading up to this trip!  Your faithfulness was a great factor in the success of this trip!  

Until next time….

Time to hit the road

May 15th, I’ll be embarking on a new journey and I don’t just mean site seeing.  I’ll be heading to South Dakota to visit with brothers and sisters about our work in China.  While I’m getting excited about the first of many trips I’ll be taking this summer, I’m also getting a bit nervous.  This is my first actual speaking engagement and I am asking for your thoughts on this one.  While I am an extrovert, that doesn’t mean I’m fully confident in my public speaking.  It’s easy to talk about China in a non formal situation, but in a formal situation, I’m not so sure.  So, again, please lift me up in the coming months as I embark on this journey.  Thank you!

And in case you’re wondering, my schedule is as follows:

May 15-20:  Sioux Falls, SD

July 8:  Loveland, CO

July 21-28:  St.  Paul, MN

August 9-11:  Grapeland, TX

September 21-23:  Lake Geneva, WI

If you are in the area for any of these dates, please let me know.  It’s always great to see familiar faces in a crowd.

Until next time….

Things I miss about PL

Over the past few days, a wave of emotion has washed over me and has had me missing PL.  Last night, I had all of these things running through my head and thought I’d take a minute to type them out.  If you’ve been to PL, you’ll get where I’m coming from with these thoughts and how I could miss them.  So, here are the things I miss:

• the smell of coal burning stoves in the morning
• little kids saying, “Ai i hao!”  (Hi Auntie)
• the sounds of morning….the old man outside my window exercising, trucks going up the hill, honking, the milk lady hollaring
• the smell of fresh steamed bread (bingzi)
• passing by my favorite shops and saying hello to the shop owners
• all of the grrrrreat and amazing PL food!
• the comfort of my apartment
• being able to grab a student last minute and take them to lunch, dinner, or have a shopping partner
• movie nights at my apartment with students
• running into the students/grads/PL friends as I walk in PL
• watching the old people dance in the park in the evenings or do tai ji in the mornings
• funny conversations with taxi drivers
• random strangers watching me shop in the grocery store
• teaching my precious students

Of course, I could go on and on, but I’ll stop now because frankly, you get the point.  I miss it!  How on earth am I going to survive another year and a half without these things?  I know, He is with me and will help me through it and I know that there are several really good reasons, such as improving health, why I’m here now, but when these waves of emotion come crashing over me, it’s hard.  Thank you for your continued thoughts for me as I apparently continue to transition back to the States.

Losing weight and gaining sanity

So, in case you haven’t heard it through the grapevine, I’ve recently started a part time job working for Fresh! Healthy OK.  With the addition of a new job, my time has been divided between Perspectives Class homework, my job, and a few other obligations.

As I stated in a previous blog, I’ve also been able to get on the right track concerning my health.  I’ve been working out about 4 times a week and at this point, I’ve managed to lose 14 pounds!  It’s absolutely amazing how easy it is to PUT ON the weight and how unbelievably difficult and time consuming it is to LOSE IT.  The good news is that I’ve finally begun to feel encouraged with this weight loss and working out is starting to feel like a desire and not a forced thing.  My hope is to be able to lose another 40 pounds, so cross those fingers!

Not only have I been working on my physical health, but also my mental health.  My counselor and I are working through a lot of things and I’ve got hope that when I return to the field, I’m going to be an all-round healthier person.  Please be thinking on this with me.

 

 

New possibilities and responsibilities

As of today, I am officially employed part-time.  Yeah!  Oh wait, that means I have to miss Dr. Phil.  lol  Kidding!  I have been hired to work for a small company called Fresh Healthy OK.  They have vending machines in businesses, schools, and YMCAs that sell “healthy” food alternatives such as granola bars, juices, water, yogurt, etc.  I start tomorrow!  It will be nice to have something to occupy my mind with some new responsibilities.

Now, onto possibilities….there is a slight possibility that I may get my masters in education.  This is something that I had thought of a few months ago and looked into.  Well, now, our school board has decided that it would greatly benefit OTC to have a staff member with  a masters degree because it could potentially open up lots of doors for internships with universities in the States.  Afterall, that’s how we got the wonderful Lori Ryan!  So, I think it would be well worth it.  Cross your fingers!

Pushing the Elephant

Last night, I stumbled upon a documentary film called “Pushing the Elephant.”  This film chronicled the life and family of a Congolese woman named Rose Mapendo who was captured in the Congo and held captive along with her husband and nine children.  Her husband was killed and her eldest daughter bore the child of a soldier who later helped Rose and her children get out of prison and gain favor with the man who is now the President of the Congo.  It was an amazing story of forgiveness, strength, and the power to overcome.

As I sat and watched the struggles of this woman and her children, tears filled my eyes.  We are so blessed to be Americans-to be free.  We have more freedoms than we know what to do with and as a result, many of those freedoms are abused.  Unlike many people in this world, including the Congo, we do not have to wake up each day worrying what we will eat, how we will survive another day without being killed, raped or pillaged, or any other number of worries that these people endure on a daily basis.  We are beyond blessed.  So, I encourage you to take just a minute right now and thank God for your freedom and the blessing of American life.  I also encourage you to then pray for countries like the Congo where they fight to survive.  Pray for God’s intervention, protection of brothers and sisters there doing His work, and His favor on the right leaders to make a difference.

Here and there

As I sit here in lovely, yet rainy, Oregon, I am thinking of all the places that I will soon be going to.  I’m here now for a fun and relaxing trip with the Ryans.  I visited Newport Beach yesterday and we were lucky enough to have a pretty clear day there and the cold was bearable, especially having experienced PL cold.  🙂  I will be here through Friday and then, it’s back to Ooooooklahoma where the wind goes sweeping cross the plains….no, really, it’s more like gusting down the plains.  I had forgotten about Oklahoma wind.  Ugh.

In May, I’ll be heading to South Dakota where I will be visiting some Covenant brothers and sisters.  I’m excited to get to see another part of this beautiful country of ours.  In July, I’ll be going to Colorado and Minnesota for more visits with Covenant family members.  Then, in August, I’ll be going on the roundtrip tour of Texas including Houston, the Dallas/Ft. Worth Area, and a camp near Tyler.  So, as you can see, I’ve got a lot coming up and I would greatly appreciate your thoughts on my travels and my speaking engagements.  Please hope for wisdom and favor in all these travels.  Thanks!